Living in a lie
by maxlovely
Summary: Draco and Astoria are happily married, or it appears so. Secrets that Astoria is hiding is threatening to destroy the love between them break their marriage apart.
1. Prologue

****Prologue

The room is darkly lit, with the chandeliers attached to the roof, as it did many years ago. The table beneath is empty, with blood-red table cloth laid across it. Red is my favourite colour, as it reminds me of roses. It reminds me of the many many roses that Draco brought me when he was courting me, or who he thought was me. 

The mirror standing in the dark corner of the room besides the fireplace reveals a young woman, with dark wavy hair. Her slender finger reached towards a grape in the fruit bowl and put slowly into her mouth. It wasn't her best feature, I observed. Draco always liked the eyes, they sparkle when they see him. Of course they do, I thought to myself, the eyes can see no-one else but Draco, or so he thought. Draco with his blonde hair, with his handsome good looks, with his eyes for nobody but Astoria. They didn't look at her once, the one with the short hair, whom the Mudblood described as having a 'pug like face'. They really didn't understand her. But I know that girl, how she dotes on Draco, how she spent her adolescence years following him around, and how she watched whilst Draco fell in love with Astoria, and how her heart broke and fell into pieces.

I watched the mirror as I lift the silver flask to my lips. I have gotten used the bitter taste for the dark red potion. I remember how the potion looked before I added Astoria's hair in, and how revolting it was as I swallowed it for the first time. The mirror began to turn blurry as I bite my lip to stop myself from crying, and not because of the burning sensation that my body felt, I have gotten used to this long ago. You chose this path, I told myself firmly, now stick to it. Draco will be home any minute, and the dinner should be prepared by now. I stood up, went to the kitchen, leaving the drawing room empty.

My name is Pansy Parkinson, I'm married to Draco Malfoy, and I'm living a lie.


	2. Chapter 1

I can't remember how this started.

That's a lie in itself; I remember precisely how it started. The details never escaped me. I think about it all the time. I spend the days brewing the bubbly potion, thinking about how my parents would feel. My parents, who were always proud of me, who always treated me as a little girl that I was. They died during the Second Wizarding War, killed by the side that was called Justice. They should've joined the Dark Lord. He would've protected them. But that's another matter. They're gone now, eliminated by the green light in less than one second.

I still don't know who killed them. Their bodies were buried in the tomb alongside my grand-parents, with my family. The area that had all the Parkinsons, generations of great wizards and witches. I would not be there; I would forever bear the name of Malfoy, or the name of Greengrass. I would never be a Parkinson again.

Draco was my once upon a time, since our teenage years in fact. Muggles had a word for it: hormones. It explained all the things that I felt during my time with him. He liked me back then, or so I thought. We were close from the first at Hogwarts. I caught his eyes at once, and then it began to develop.

I went to Yule Ball with him, I thought that was official enough. So did everyone else, anyone saw us assumed that we're a couple. I thought we were a couple. We were not like a normal couple. We didn't have dates, didn't have anniversaries. He didn't give me gifts for my birthdays, or Valentine's Day. I put my effort into my little gifts for him. My parents did not want to spoil me, so I had little pocket money. However, my gifts were thoughtful, were personalised, and were special.

Things began to change when Astoria entered Draco's attention. It was during the year when we were both made prefects. Things were going well at that time, the Dark Lord was rising and nobody cared. Everyone thought that Potter was lying. I felt sorry for Potter, but he deserved it. Who was he to think that he could stop the Dark Lord? He was the greatest wizard of all time, including Dumbledore.

Astoria entered Hogwarts two years after Draco and I. She was the younger sister of Daphne. She was very small when she entered, so small that Daphne kept her by her side for the most of the first year. Astoria often sit on her sister's bed in our dorm. She was so quiet that her presence was not noticeable. She made no friends during her first year, as she was shy and timid. However, by Christmas second year, she was rarely seen beside Daphne. I inquired about her whereabouts occasionally, only to be met by a short "I don't know".

By her third year, she has grown into a young lady. I should've sensed the danger right then. I chose to believe in Draco's love for me. Similar to her sister, who was a book-worm through and through, she spent most of her time studying. I bumped into her once or twice when I came down to the dungeon and she returned from the library. Draco appeared to have developed an interest in her. It seems that Draco met Astoria frequently when he was trying to find out Potter's business and she running back and forth between places.

Nothing much happened until the midway through our Sixth Year. It was during a trip to Hogsmeade, when Draco slipped away whilst Crabbe and Goyle and I were chatting. Suspicion arose when he returned with Astoria by his side. Her cheeks were flushed, not sure with the coldness or something else. Draco had his charming smile on, and Astoria had clearly fallen into his charm. I don't know what he's hoping to gain from this. He had me already, what is he doing with Astoria? The family Greengrass were not famous for anything, they were a bunch of blood-traitors, like the Weasleys.

The pair soon became the new Slytherin couple. I tried relentlessly to ignore the looks of pity from everyone else. I smiled and held my head up high. He'll come back to me. Of course he will.

Perhaps due the fate taking control, the inevitable Second Wizarding War happened. And both Greengrass died fighting against the Dark Lord. Draco did not notice, there were too many killings and bodies lying around at that time. I came across Astoria sitting by her sister's body, with a weak pulse left in her. She looked at me with her pair of sad eyes, and requested me the mission that I have to spend my whole life on.

"Pansy, I know you love Draco. There's no point denying it. I'm sorry I stole him from you. He'll be heart-broken by me dying. Please be me for him."

Her voice was sweet as usual, even near death. She took out two flask of Polyjuice Potion and swigged down one and lifted the other one to my hands. Right before my eyes, she transformed into me. She nods towards my flask, and I lifted the flask to my lips and closed my eyes. I thought about future as the potion changed me.

That was the end of my life, and the beginning of my life of lies.


End file.
